The flashing red and blue lights highlight the tears on the girlfriend’s cheeks as she
sobs to a cop that her sweetheart was a good man. A nosey neighbor lingers on the sidewalk
nearby, under the guise of walking her dog. The handsome, yet cynical detective trades quips
with the medical examiner as she crouches over the vic and bags evidence. Shortly afterwards,
the clever detective quickly solves the case and the world returns to normal. Well, that’s what
many TV crime shows would have you believe what happens. Rarely if ever, do they show the horrific
moment after the authorities have departed and the shattered family is left standing in a
living room covered in blood and other gruesome reminders of their loved one’s violent death.
Today we’re celebrating some unsung heroes of society--Crime
Scene Cleaners. These strong stomached men and women both physically and figuratively clean up
society. Their job is labor intensive, gross, hazardous and sometimes emotionally fraught.
Crime scene cleanup has become a catch all phrase for biohazard remediation or CTS decon – [crime
and trauma scene decontamination]. Actually many of the scenarios dealt with aren't caused by
crime. Crime scene cleaning companies generally tackle homicides and violent crimes as well as
suicides, and decomposition after unattended deaths. Often they also handle clean ups for
meth labs, hoarding, animal infestation and industrial accidents such as chemical spills.
More recently, some crime scene cleaning companies have added Covid compliance
consultation and disease disinfection to their rooster of services. Quite a few
companies offer full service rehabilitation meaning that on top of cleaning, they perform
pest extermination and do reconstruction such as painting or replacing flooring.
Often crime scene techs are on call 24/7. Part of the service is moving quickly and discreetly
as possible; not only can the hazardous site pose a danger, but a rapid turnaround
can be helpful to the client’s peace of mind. While each crime scene is unique, the cleaning
process is not. There’s generally about 10 steps: Estimate - A tech assesses the site and provides
the client with an estimate. Cost factors include how extensive cleanup is and how much waste the
crime scene company will have to dispose of. Suit up - Before getting started, the cleaners’
first task is to don single use PPE including biohazard suits, respiratory masks, and shoe
coverings for their safety. The body fluids found at a cleanup scene can carry bloodborne pathogens,
including MRSA, HIV, hepatitis B and C. Documentation - ‘Before’ pictures are taken
to document the cleaning for the client. Also, the crime scene is broken down into cleaning
zones to prevent cross contamination. Removal of biohazards - Items unable
to be cleaned are disposed of in biohazard waste containers. Depending on the item,
it might need to be broken down to make removal easier such as a mattress or even drywall.
Disinfect and removal - Salvageable items are cleaned,
disinfected and removed from the cleanup site. Once cleanup is complete, they’ll be put back.
Clean Up - Floors, ceilings and walls are checked for organic material and carefully
cleaned, disinfected and deodorized. Final check - Techs carefully check
over the cleaned site to make sure they’ve removed every speck of biological matter.
Breakdown - Cleaning tools are removed and discarded as hazardous waste as appropriate.
The techs strip off their PPE and discard it in the biohazard containers too.
Staging - Disinfected items are returned to the site. ‘After’ pictures are taken.
Disposal - Waste and hazardous materials are transported and disposed of according to local
law. Generally hazardous material is sent to a medical-waste incinerator for burning
while other waste is hauled to the dump. Depending on how complex the site is,
the cleanup process may take anywhere from a few hours to 2 or 3 days.
A site where the deceased was found several days after death may have leaked copious amounts of
body fluids requiring 3 full days of cleanup. Every now and again, cleaners come across a
suspicious object which could be potential evidence. At that moment, the clean up
work is halted and the appropriate authorities return to the crime scene to collect said item.
Let’s see this in action. Back to the scenario of our TV show.
Per the family’s request the dtc cleaning company generates an estimate. In this case,
it’s a relatively straightforward job, contamination is limited to one room,
the vic was shot while sitting in his favorite armchair watching TV.
The vic’s family signs off on the contract. Two cleaners will restore the living room within
8 hours for a few thousand. The techs suit up, take pictures and establish 3 containment zones.
Then with box cutters and an electric saw the cleaners break down the armchair the vic died in.
Bloodied pieces of chair go in the biohazard containers. The rest of the chair is slated
for the dump. They also cut up the blood soaked rug that was under the chair. Only a little blood
soaked thru the rug to the wood floor underneath. Just in case, the cleaners pry up one of the
wooden floor slats to make sure the blood didn’t soak through the floor; luckily it didn’t. The
cleaners also remove a blood splattered couch as well as pillows, tv remote and magazines.
The glass coffee table, some framed pictures and any other salvageable furniture items
are cleaned and disinfected with industrial strength solutions, before being moved outside.
Now the cleaners are ready to tackle the room itself. They use an enzyme solvent to rehydrate
dried blood splatter on the walls before scrubbing it away and disinfecting. Some brain matter
also made it onto the wall. Brain hardens and becomes cement like when dry--the cleaners use a
proprietary solvent to loosen the brain matter. Then they scrape it away with putty knives.
When they’re done cleaning and disinfecting the room, they carefully check it using alternative
light sources which can detect body fluids. To deodorize the space, techs employ an ozone machine
and hydroxyl generators—which use concentrated UV light to target and destroy pollutants.
Finally the tech discards any dirtied cleaning supplies in the biohazard containers, including
the PPE they were wearing. Hazardous waste and trash are disposed of in adherence of local laws.
Do you think you could do this job? While OSHA [Occupational Safety
and Health Administration] governs some aspects of being a crime scene cleaner,
the job doesn’t require a degree or certification, each company trains their own employees.
Qualifications companies look for include a strong stomach, attention to detail,
good organization skills and good personal skills. Some companies require a psychology test before
training to make sure potential employees are up to the job. Others administer a ‘gross’ test which
might involve graphic photos or handling animal parts to make sure candidates can do the job.
Training includes learning proper use of PPE, safety procedures regarding the handling of bodily
fluids, safe and legal transport and discarding of dangerous waste. Some companies even provide
training on how to compassionately deal with clients, who are often upset or emotional. At the
end of training some companies stage crime scenes using pig’s blood and other animal parts, the
candidate must clean it up to graduate to a job. The crime cleanup industry tends to suffer rapid
turn over. One company owner thinks that on average crime scene techs last about
7 years on the job. Stress, depression, anxiety and nightmares take their toll.
Even the most unfazed employees eventually come across a situation that deeply bothers them.
Even wonder how accurate crime drama TV shows are? Click here
to learn how real life CSI actually solved murders Serial killers are not a modern phenomena and they
aren’t always lone wolves either. Check out this video about America’s first serial killer family